I'm about to start Rifampin for the first time. For those of you who have taken it, what was your herx like? How long did it take for the herx to start?
Thanks!
[ 06-20-2012, 05:38 PM: Message edited by: Summer3 ]
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
I think that this is different for each person.
Rifampin herx hit me on the 6th day and it was an all over not feeling well plus muscle and joint pain over random areas.
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
Rifampin has been really tough for me. I have had to stop it a few times due to severe muscle pains. Everyone is different. Do you have any pain now? If not, you may not have a problem with pain while on it. My problem from the beginning has been muscle and nerve pain, so for me the herxing has been increased pain.
Posted by jlcd1 (Member # 18138) on :
for me, the 1st week was just really bad anxiety and flu like feeling.
The 2nd week it hit me really hard, the bones in my upper back hurt the worst. I've never felt bone pain like that before.
It did get better over the next few months, and now every time I try and stop rifampin I start to feel really bad again. This is my favorite abx.
I would start off slow if I was you, I took 1/2 the dose for the 1st week.
Posted by rera2528 (Member # 29886) on :
My bones hurt at first (within the first day), joint aches. I remember telling my husband that I "hurt" more than I had with any other combination.
However, it was pretty short-lived compared to others I have taken. Good detox helped very quickly. I love Pekana.
I am with jlcd1 - it's my favorite. I have improved SO much on it. I actually love this combination!
A heads up though - my liver doesn't love it unless I am really detoxing (beyond milk thistle, which I see as essential all the time). Make sure you are doing your blood work to check your liver functions.
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
I'm kind of worried about it. I have had liver issues all along whether off or on antibiotics, but my LLMD is obsessive about watching that and my meds are pulled immediately if they get too high.
I do have a lot of pain and some seizure-like stuff as well.
I am supposed to take 300mg the first week.
[ 06-19-2012, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: Summer3 ]
Posted by lmedler (Member # 32429) on :
I too had a lot of muscle and joint pain. The worst for me though is the terrible heartburn and decreased urine output. I am actually stopping this med per my LLMD. I'm just not tolerating it well.
My herx started around 5 days in and lasted about a week. Mine was mostly pain, awful headache, anxiety and insomnia.
Posted by tickbitt (Member # 33753) on :
I had it a few times in the past. Herxed with stron bart symptoms - emotional involvement, insomnia, headaches, memory issues - the first week I had it. The die-off didn't last that long though, and the next week (pulsed 4 days a week) was not nearly so bad.
'Bart' includes a lot of bugs with quite a few different symptoms. Peoples reaction to rifampin varies; put the two together and you get lots of different reactions.
Posted by MattH (Member # 30846) on :
Tickbitt,
My symptoms are similar to yours. I pulse Rifampin 3 days a week. However I also get very lethargic and almost feel depressed. I have been pulsing for about 10 weeks now.
I am also getting more joint pain with the wrist and knee joints the most painful.
My edema and foot pain from Bart is greatly reduced but neuro symptoms are pretty much the same.
I will give it another 4 to 6 weeks and see if there is much improvement.
Note that I am also taking Biaxin and Hoot daily.
All the Best, MattH
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
I took the first one today. I feel strange and out of it again. I got a sore throat and my muscles are really heavy and aching with lots of joint pain and more twitching and muscle cramping especially in my legs.
It seems too quick to be from Rifampin so maybe it's just a bad day. I had been getting most of this stuff on doxy/zith anyway.
Posted by Summer3 (Member # 35286) on :
Thanks Manybites,
Well I made it through the first day without anything too terrible. The main problem I'm having is a spacey feeling and a sore throat like swollen tonsils.
Luckily I was off today so I have a chance to get used to the new level of dizziness I'm having. I have to work like this tomorrow. Not looking forward to it...........
I fell asleep for a couple of hours in the middle of the day and when I get up I felt so much worse. I can barely move. My legs and one arm were not working for me for a while, and I have such a strange feeling in my head like I'm not totally here.......